Description

Poetry. Artificial Intelligence. While attempting to make a musical instrument based on spoken English, Ranjit Bhatnagar realized he could use the computer to find poetic forms in written texts. The result was Pentametron, a program that finds iambic pentameter in Twitter's endless linguistic torrent and collects it in rhymed couplets. ENCOMIALS: SONNETS FROM PENTAMETRON consists entirely of these tweets, automatically assembled into sonnets. Bhatnagar chose his favorite sonnets from hundreds that were generated, adding punctuation according to his own whims. Each chapter of the book conforms to a different formal constraint exemplified by its title.

Author Bio

Ranjit Bhatnagar works in music, installation, and text, with a particular interest in algorithmic techniques and in improvisation at all stages of creation. His works have been exhibited across the United States and in Europe. Last summer, Ranjit worked with Ad Hoc Art Collective to build a large scale musical installation in Denmark. He has worked with New Orleans Airlift to build several tiny musical houses. He has performed recently with Lea Bertucci, Thessia Machado, and Margaret Leng Tan. His heaviest work is Stone Song, a 7500 pound outdoor sound sculpture; his longest is The Tapestry of the Search for Terrestrial Intelligence at 44 yards.